Who bears the burden of America's social ills? [Letter]

I am so impressed that there is a small group of representatives from city congregations working on how to alleviate poverty Baltimore City ("Where are the city's churches?" April 9).

As one of my friends said, "there isn't just rage, there is no longer any hope."

Years ago, the GOP swore that churches would "pick up the slack for the poor" as it cut welfare, food stamps, etc. Well, that didn't happen. Churches, synagogues and mosques have a vested interest in their own faiths and in carrying forward their particular programs and beliefs.

There is a saying that "humanity will always rise from slavery to spiritual growth, to economic comfort to complacency, which leads back to slavery."

In fairness, many, many congregations of many faiths do reach out in productive ways, but it is always within the realm of the faiths' choices, not necessarily the real needs of the community.

in a country where there is one job available for every three people who are unemployed, just how much of a burden for the country's social ills does the GOP expect its churches, synagogues and mosques to bear?